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Tomorrow is Feb 1, 2007 and Hindustan Times [HT Media Ltd] will be launching in Delhi and Mumbai a new business newspaper named 'mint' in partnership which The Wall Street Journal.

'The Economic Times', 'The Business Standard', 'The Financial Express' and 'The Business Line' are some of the prominent business newspapers available in the country today. Of these, The Economic times is the most affordable at Rs. 2 for weekday editions though my rating of the Business Standard is the highest among the options available.The Hindustan Times had been carrying the advertisement for subscription of their business newspaper [ Rs. 299 for a year's subscription] with the last day of subscription slated for 30th Jan, 2007. Incidentally or through design, HT Media Ltd, the owners of Hindustan Times announced on 30th Jan, 2007 the name of their business newspaper and released the logo of the newspaper. The business newspaper is named 'mint'.The news…

Its been 59 years to the day when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. So it is as good a time as ever, to discuss about Mahatma Gandhi, his life and his legacy.The times we live in are quite astounding, as it would have been, when Gandhiji lived. Then, democracy was important, today personal prosperity engages as much attention.The question here is, what is the idea of Gandhi inside my head. It would not be improper to say, Gandhi means to me, those images captured in the movie 'Gandhi' and to a lesser extent the images I have seen at Sabarmati Ashram and other places.It is clear now to the readers that, Gandhi inside my head is the image which has been sold (in the marketing sense) to me. So, its no wonder, Gandhigiri has captured our imagination [Munnabhai was well marketed].In short, with every passing moment, Gandhi seems not to be a man who lived once on the face of earth but an enshrined image marketed to us.It doesn't concern me now, what I think of Gandhiji. I am cert…

Muharram is not a particular day, but the name of a month that marks the beginning of the year according to the Islamic calendar. Muharram commemorates the suffering and martyrdom of Iman Husayn bin Ali, , grandson of Prophet Muhammad and the entire family of the Prophet at the hands of the Abbasid ruler Yazid at Karbala in Iraq in 61st year after Hijra. The Shi'a branch of Islam is the main sect that commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali by arranging 'majalis' (gatherings) to review Islamic teachings and to commemorate Husayn's sacrifice. The mourning reaches its climax on the tenth day of Muharram, known as Ashura.On the 10th day of Muharram, large processions are formed and the devoted followers parade the streets holding banners and carrying models of the mausoleum of Husayn ibn Aliand his people, who fell at Karbala.They show their grief and sorrow by inflicting wounds on their own bodies with sharp metal tied to chain with which they scourge themselves.For…

These days the iconic building of Indian democracy are being lighted up on the occasion of Republic Day. I took this pic from the 10th floor of my apartment. Have a look..
Try to identify Parliament House and Rastrapati Bhavan. [Hint: the tall building seen in the middle of the pic is the NDMC building.] Is the Parliament House to the left or right of NDMC building? I will let you know tomorrow.

This is an seasonal ritual, we all have come to like and find ways to benefit from it. Yes, the end of winter sale is on in a roaring scale. Here I present to you the information on sale of different items that I have gathered from various sources:Name of the Shop/Brand
Discount %
UNITED COLORS
OF BENETTON
50%
(additional10%discount when you shop between 9am - 11 am)THE BIG CPSALEUPTO 50% OFF
D&A
UPTO 50% OFF
ON FOOTWEAR & BAGS
City look
40% OFF
ON MOST ITEMS
DIWAN'S
40% OFF
ON LIMITED COLLECTION OF Saree's, shawls, Lehangas, Suits & Dress Materials
KOUTONS
50% OFF + 30% OFF
ON PULLOVERS, SWEAT SHIRTS, TRACK SUITS, JACKETS, SUITS& BLAZERS
CHARLIE OUTLAW
30% OFF + 30% OFF
ON ALL SWEA

A hard look at Delhi is required and also a change in our mindset this Republic Day. Why? The answer is simple: Look around! Day-in and day-out, if you hear the news on FM, Television or on the Internet, the stories are abound about lawlessness, disharmony and lack of rectitude.
Think about Delhi. There have been many events in the past, such as bomb-blasts, not once but many a times, which could have turned our daily life upside-down. But see for yourself, the city has moved up a few notches on the civilization ladder to greater forbearance. The only time the life in the city takes a back step is when there are bandh's, which do happen regularly but people have taken them in their stride. All this is happening, when the city is still considered unsafe for women and men alike at night.
It has always been to the disadvantage of Delhi, not be considered as cultured, suave and urbane. But that trend is fading fast. You can find in the city now, varied entertainment options, great ca…

Naveen Patnaik Naveen Patnaik is a name most delhiites are not familiar. What can I do, he is the Chief Minister of a State people associate with poverty, hunger and backwardness. Orissa is that State. When HT-CNN-IBN State of the Nation Survey came out, it was surprising to see Naveen Patnaik on the top.It felt good to hear this, not because, I am an Oriya (resident of the State of Orissa in the Union of India) myself or because of the Chief Minister, the State is in the limelight again albeit for good reason, but like all higher things in this world, it felt like standing tall and going back to the roots again. A strange felling inexpressible in words. Good work Naveen babu.Technorati : Delhi, Delhiites, HT-CNN-IBN, Nation Survey, Naveen Patnaik, Orissa

A hiatus is a good time to ponder and wonder and flounder. Winter is behind us now and summer is ahead us. So, now it is good time to think, thank and move on and miss those wintry days of deep fried food, late morning sleep escapades and hot coffee's. Hiatus is an rejoinder to the two extreme seasons. And, the Republic Day will end this hiatus and signal the coming of hot summer.What do we expect this summer? Yes, before the summer starts, the winter sale will precede it and the bargain hunters will be all over the city and after that, holi and after that the power cuts will pinch the heart and increase in the cost of vegetable will hurt the mind. An add to it another budget and may be a new tax regime. And can we forget the Delhiites who have young kids ready to join school. An ordeal will begin.When April is behind us, beer will flow and with mid May, summer break plans will be in full swing which will be carried out sometime in June. When July hits Delhi, sultry weather will e…

Kaun Banega Crorepati hosted by SRK [Shahrukh Khan] premiered on STAR PLUS channel today. Great show, this is and reminds me of still greater people. When the show opened, SRK looked damn nervous or was he pretending, we may never know, though this was noticed.The new 'Don' looked easy on the chair and even though the comparisons will follow, I though for a moment forgot that Big B [Amitabh Bachchan] once dawned it. If the first show is a parameter of things to follow, then, we may expect KBC 3 to be a decent success, not though in degree of its first avatar. People have already been conditioned to this format.Now the brick bats. It was an expectation that the format will find a little more innovation and scale up a bit to accommodate people's expectation, which did not materialize. Except of SRK specific trivia's[like 'quitting' replaced by 'I will hug you' and things like that], nothing had changed. But then, who wants to wander away from a tried an a…

All the National weeklies have tried this formula, one time or the other to look popular, contemporary and mostly to increase circulation figures. Yes, sleaze masked as porn or adult content has found a way into mainstream magazines in the past, but lately the frequency with which the strategy has been adopted has amused me.When I received my 'The Week' dated January 21 which had a sensuous pic headlined 'ADULTS ONLY', the week Investigation, you know, where my attention was. The article stated that the Indian sex industry is worth Rs. 4,000 crore and growing at an frantic rate and went on to explain in some detail the sources, distribution and the channels of the porn trade. Nothing new is mentioned. The images/pictures though not explicit keeping in mind the Indian mindset, were titillating enough. It is easy to decide for whom this is intended. If you are reading this piece on the basis of the headline [Porn is HOT and Indian Porn HOTTER still!], you know, how stron…

Truth is stranger than fiction. Yesterday, the judgment delivered by the Supreme Court churned such a feeling in me. The famous case involved Members of Parliament caught in the cash-for-query scam. The whole issue had boiled down to a fight between the Judiciary and the Legislature.On both side were people of great wisdom and erudition and power. So the judgment, which was delivered by the five Judge bench of the Supreme Court was less than a pot-boiler because there would be no more 'acts' that would follow. On after thought, the judgment was the best that could have been delivered, but it left most of the tricky questions unanswered. Take this portion for instance where the judgment states:-"Proceeding (of Parliament) which may be tainted on account of substantive orgross illegality or unconstitutionality are not protected from judicial scrutiny".In short, the judgment legitimising Speaker stand on the issue has in no two word made it clear that procedure followed…

You get to see only the 'Gates'
Delhi has got another billion rupee (100 cr) address. The buyer of this house is an Indian businessman. When you hear this kind of news, it is easy to believe India is shinning. No wonder, an ordinary Indian has lost the hope of owning a home these-days.In the past, Bill Gates Seattle house had created much interest and few year's back Lakshmi Mittal's purchase of a London home was seen with much awe.Recent property deals in the country had thrown up numbers which would have been unbelievable a few years back. So, what we see today, like the purchase of a house for 100 cr doesn't amaze the populance, for they are used to hear big numbers.It's a wonder, why people pay so much for a house. Again, the costlier the house, the less we get to see of it. Common people get to see only the 'Gates' that lead to these houses...and read about them in the media.Technorati : Bill Gates, Delhi, Houses, Lakshmi Mittal, London, Rich

January 8th was the coldest day in Delhi in the last four decades. Flashback : New Year's Eve, 2007 was chilling climatically, an omen of things to come. It may be 2 degree Centigrade on Jan 9.Cold is good in many ways. Some of the Arctic region countries like Norway, Canada or Russia produce some of the best computer programmers. It is said that, when it gets cold, people have two options; first is to create babies and the second is to write computer programme code. I think the coders may not be the majority, but they have made a mark for themselves in computer security field worldwide.January being the coldest month of the year, lowest temperature for winter was expected, but not in the degree being felt at present. Someone mentioned to me today that, on the morning of the Republic Day few years back, he had noticed snow on the chairs laid down for visitor who would come to watch the parade at Rajpath. Surprising, but not improbable.For the record did you know bald is hot this s…

Mary HopkinsBest things in Life are a chance discovery. I discovered this song by Mary Hopkins while checking out videos at Youtube. It made my heart itch, so I thought, its a song worth sharing with the world again. For the record, this song was a chart topper in the 60s and was at the No.1 position in the UK for 6 long weeks. When you listen to it, you will know why. For all you song lovers who love to karaoke, the lyrics of the song is here.ENJOY!Technorati : Classics, Karaoke, Mary Hopkins, RocK n Roll

Everybody will gain, that's being told to us. I have to make up my mind, for I am a Delhite. Like every thing in these confused times, the right course eludes the man on the street. Yes its the CAS Vs. DTH story, again.The options for accessing our daily dose of IDIOT BOX are (i) Conditional Access System (CAS) to view pay channel in the existing cable TV, (ii) Direct to Home (DTH), (iii) IP TV (to by provide by MTNL) or (iv) good old antenna to watch free-to-air channels.Any change in the present system of accessing TV will come at a cost. It may vary according to platform we choose. My cable-wallah said, even if I only access the free to air channels with my cable connection, my monthly subscription rate would not be affected. Awe, was my reaction. I had expected lowering of tariff. I tossed back by asking, should I not change to DTH. He smiled and said, wait and watch. That's what I am doing.Internet Protocol TV is another interesting option with which there is a telephone …

Most of us read newspapers that too with the morning cup of tea/coffee. Research suggests readers take just 15 to 17 minutes with newspaper each day. At max, 20 minutes is the time one spends reading a newspapers every day.So, First there was the Newspaper. Then came the City supplements. Then, classified supplements, job supplements, matrimony supplements ... today we even have tender supplements. Its confusing whether the supplements come with the newspaper or the newspaper with supplements.So, first there was largely 'text' in the Newspapers. Then came pictures. These days, we have color, blown-out pictures and sometimes glossy-paper editions like magazines. All this in the belief that a picture is worth a 1000 words and color picture are worth a million words.So, first there were Newspapers in big sizes. Then came stripped down versions. These days, like the preference of our erstwhile colonial masters, we have tabloids, with skinny picture of starlets seeking limelight ga…

If newspaper articles are to be believed, 2007 will be nothing sort of a big holiday year ( the pun is meant for babus). Lets first have the statistics:2007 will have:(i) 52 weeks out of which 2 days are holidays so that 52 X 2 = 104 days(ii) 14 gazetted holidays ( excluding holidays on Saturdays & Sunday's) = 14 days(iii) 2 restricted holidays = 02 days(iv) 8 casual leaves (which is normally taken by most) = 08 daysTotal 128 daysCompare this figure with the year gone by i.e, 2006 :(i) 52 weeks out of which 2 days are holidays so that 52 X 2 = 104 days(ii) 14 gazetted holidays ( excluding holidays on Saturdays & Sunday's) = 14 days(iii) 2 restricted holidays = 02 days(iv) 8 casual leaves (which is normally taken by most) = 08 daysTotal 128 daysStrange as it may seem, 2007 will have as much holidays as there were in 2006. Then why this hullo-ballo. I don't know. What I do know is that this is a news-worthy item for any decent newspaper.I was on leave ( i have a day …